2. Douglass Was the First African-American Nominated for Vice President of the United States

Douglass circa 1855. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Douglass was the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States. He was the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull in 1872. It was on the Equal Rights Party ticket and the nomination was made without his approval

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That same year, Douglass was presidential elector at large for the State of New York and he took the state’s vote to Washington D.C.

During the Civil War, Douglass was an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln.